DAG’s six-store, condo development earns final approval

Downtown Automotive Group’s massive Riverside Square development for the southeast corner of Toronto has received final approval of the Toronto and East York Community council.

The plan, which calls for construction of five separate dealerships, a number of commercial operations, parkland space and more than 800 condos, will sprawl across roughly five acres of Queen Street East between Broadview Avenue and the East Don Roadway.

Shahin Alizadeh, president of DAG, told Canadian AutoWorld this week the project had been approved and it would now be full steam ahead with his construction partners Streetcar Developments and Dream.

The redevelopment will see Downtown Toyota move to a new site facing the Don Valley Parkway. The automotive component, dubbed Autoplex, will also see stores built to represent Ford, Lincoln, Hyundai, Nissan, Infiniti and Scion all owned and operated by DAG.

Store sizes will vary from 35,000 to 60,000 square feet.

A total of 880 residential dwelling units will be constructed over two phases. Local media reports that along the Don Roadway, there would be three mixed-use buildings: one at 11 storeys; a nine-storey base building with a 19-storey component; and a tower on the east end of the site topping out at 13 storeys.

“There’s parkland with off-leash space, there’s a small scale grocery store on this site. The planning principles have been maintained, there’s a height limit on Queen Street and a $5-million contribution toward affordable housing. From an equity point of view this is a tremendous piece of work done.”

Canadian AutoWorld was the first to report on the Autoplex concept. Check out our December issue for a complete story on the project and what it means to the Canadian dealership body.